Protective gripping sleeve on rotating tool extension arm

ABSTRACT

A gripping sleeve slides onto a ratchet extension arm shaft. A proximal and a distal collar affixed to the ratchet extension arm prevent sliding or wobbling of the sleeve. The sleeve is gripped by a user to allow the user to steady and guide the tool head attached to the extension arm, which rotates freely within the sleeve. The user grips the sleeve with a bare or a gloved hand without damage to the hand or glove.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to ratchet extension arms for square-drivesockets, ratchets and air-tools and particularly to a protectivegrasping sleeve on a ratchet extension arm which comprises a freelyspinning graspable sheath or tube mounted on a ratchet extension arm bymeans of a first and a second collar affixed to the ratchet extensionarm which allows a user to steady the apparatus without damage to theirhands or gloves.

2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37CFR 1.97 and 1.98

A rotating tool may not be gripped comfortably or securely with a barehand. Many if not most technicians and mechanics, automotive or other,wear thin rubber or latex gloves both to protect their hands and keeptheir work clean. Frequently an extension turning inside a gloved handwill grab the glove and tear it or partially remove it from the hand. Aglove with a little bit of oil or grease on it is very slippery and maynot provide a secure enough grip on an extension to guide the toolproperly, or the guide hand will quickly slide down the rotatingextension. Prior art devices do not adequately address these problems.

Prior art U.S. Patent Application #20060266166, published Nov. 30, 2006by Weber, is for a protective sheath for tools to prevent marring offinished surfaces when the tool is being used and to provide a graspingsurface. The sheath is integrally formed as a one-piece elastomeric bodythat is applied to the exterior surface of the tool, with at least oneend of the sheath projecting slightly beyond an end of the tool. In oneembodiment the sheath projects at both ends beyond the ends of the tool.One of the projecting ends functions to contact the finished surface andprevent contact between the tool and finished surface, and the otherprojecting end functions to span the coupling between the tool andanother tool. The elastomeric body is freely rotatable relative to thetool and fixed axially relative thereto, and provides a non-rotatingsurface that may be grasped by a user to support and guide the toolAnnular ribs on the inner surface of the sheath and/or a lubricantincorporated in the material of the sheath provide a reduction infriction, enabling the sheath to rotate freely on the tool even when itis grasped tightly by a person to support and guide the tool.

Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 7,082,864, issued Aug. 1, 2006 to Weber, shows aprotective sheath for tools to prevent marring of finished surfaces whenthe tool is being used and to provide a grasping surface. The sheath isintegrally formed as a one-piece elastomeric body that is applied to theexterior surface of the tool, with at least one end of the sheathprojecting slightly beyond an end of the tool. In one embodiment thesheath projects at both ends beyond the ends of the tool. One of theprojecting ends functions to contact the finished surface and preventcontact between the tool and finished surface, and the other projectingend functions to span the coupling between the tool and another tool.The elastomeric body is freely rotatable relative to the tool and fixedaxially relative thereto, and provides a non-rotating surface that maybe grasped by a user to support and guide the tool Annular ribs on theinner surface of the sheath and/or a lubricant incorporated in thematerial of the sheath provide a reduction in friction, enabling thesheath to rotate freely on the tool even when it is grasped tightly by aperson to support and guide the tool.

Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 7,387,053, issued Jun. 17, 2008 to Lee, is for adriving tool having adjustable holding device. The driving tool includesa driving stem having two or more outer peripheral grooves, a holdingdevice having a tubular member slidably engaged onto the driving stem, adetent slidably received in the tubular member, and an actuating devicehaving a control ferrule slidably engaged onto the tubular member andhaving an actuator for selectively actuating the detent to engage witheither of the peripheral grooves of the driving stem and for adjustablyattaching the tubular member to the driving stem at any selectedposition and for allowing the user to hold the driving tool at suitableor selected position when the driving stem is driven or rotated relativeto the tubular member.

Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 7,121,175, issued Oct. 17, 2006 to Anderson,provides a wheel nut tool. The device is fittable to a diameter of awheel to facilitate the turning of a wheel nut for loosening for removalof the wheel from the vehicle or for tightening the wheel to thevehicle. The device has a outer diameter, the device comprising amonolithic star-shaped body having extended portions that extend to adiameter that approaches the inner diameter of the wheel or fits aroundthe outer diameter of the wheel. Apertures through the device arearranged in a base circle pattern that matches the diameter circle ofthe wheel nuts. An aperture is provided for the axle hub. A stabilizer,shown in FIGS. 4C-1 through 4C-3, can be used with a sleeve formaintaining a ratchet extension tool along the centerline.

Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 2,071,543, issued Feb. 23, 1937 to Kress, claimssocket wrench extension having a rotatable grip that allows a mechanicto steady the device by holding the grip while continuing to turn theextension.

Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 4,004,476, issued Jan. 25, 1977 to DeVrou,describes a hand grip of flexible material for use with a socket wrenchextension and which is adapted to be slidably and tightly received uponthe socket wrench extension so that the hand grip can be grasped and thesocket wrench extension manually turned.

Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 3,779,105, issued Dec. 18, 1973 to Triplett, etal, discloses a fastener tool, for use with special fasteners,comprising a sleeve rigidly secured in a housing having a head engagingend extending from the housing, a socket rotatably secured in the sleeveand housing having apertures at both ends and being biased into thehousing by a spring, and a cover surrounding the housing. The tool has ameans for gripping and immobilizing the holding member and a socket forgripping the bolt head is used to secure the fasteners. The means forgripping and immobilizing the holding member is hand held by a user ofthe tool.

Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 7,412,915, issued Aug. 19, 2008 to Schincariol,indicates a socket and drive member used in a manufacturing process fordriving fasteners is coupled together using an elastic sleeve. Thesleeve is placed on one of the socket and drive and then positioned tocover a joint created when the socket and drive member are coupledtogether. The sleeve uses friction and/or vacuum to maintain theconnection at the joint, thus removing the need for fasteners tomaintain the joint connection.

Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 6,813,975, issued Nov. 9, 2004 to Kozak, putsforth device for protecting a user's fingers when operating a flexibleextension shaft which includes a first end portion secured to a rigidmember of the shaft via clamp means, a second end portion that engages amovable member of the shaft, a mid-portion member integrally joined tothe first and second end portions whereby relative movement between therigid member and the movable member is unobstructed by the mid-portionmember irrespective of the relative positions of the rigid member andthe movable member. The mid-portion member is configured to prevent auser's fingers from being “pinched” between the rigid member and themovable member irrespective of the position of the user's hand upon theflexible extension shaft.

Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 4,350,064, issued Sep. 21, 1982 to Markle,concerns an auxiliary tool kit for a socket wrench set comprising aneasy-out, an easily grippable extension with a rigid hand grip thereon,and an adapter extension for mating with an electric drill oralternatively, the kit is adapted for mating with a ratchet wrench.

Prior art U.S. Pat. No. D540,644, issued Apr. 17, 2007 to Song,illustrates the ornamental design for a drive extension having a flaredgripping section.

Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 5,680,800, issued Oct. 28, 1997 to Sharpe, isfor a socket drive extension grip for securing to a socket driveextension to provide greater flexibility to the use of a socket tool.The socket drive extension includes a handle, a shaft tube securedwithin the handle and for receiving the shaft of a socket driveextension and a clamping device for securely holding the socket driveextension within the handle and shaft tube and preventing the shaft fromrotating.

What is needed is a hand gripping sleeve encircling a rotating componentof a tool to allow comfortable, secure, and safe gripping of therotating component of the tool with a bare hand or a gloved hand forguiding the operation of the rotating tool.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a hand gripping sleeveencircling a rotating component of a tool bracketed by a pair of collarsattached to the rotating component, the collars rotating with thecomponent, to prevent sliding of the gripping sleeve on the tool, butwith adequate space between to allow the sleeve to be gripped by a handof a user without the hand touching the rotating collars to allow acomfortable, secure, and safe gripping of the rotating component of thetool with a bare hand or a gloved hand for guiding the operation of therotating tool.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a hand grippingsleeve encircling a rotating tool component, a proximal collar and adistal collar affixed to the rotating tool component, all of a smalldiameter which allows better clearance in tight spaces; the distalcollar being of a large enough diameter to be grasped by the user shouldthe rotating tool component need to be turned manually.

In brief, the present invention provides a protective stationarygrasping sleeve on a rotating ratchet extension arm, which comprises agraspable sheath, tube or sleeve slipped over a ratchet extension arm atthe narrow drive end and bracketed by a pair of spaced collars affixedto the ratchet extension arm and spaced apart by the length of thesleeve to prevent sliding or wobbling of the sleeve. The presentinvention allows user to grasp the stationary gripping sleeve to guideand steady the apparatus while the tool extension arm rotates within thesleeve without damage to the hands or gloves of the user. The presentinvention may be used on rotating extension arms for square-drivesockets, ratchets, air-tools, and other rotating tools.

An advantage of the present invention is that it protects the user'shands and gloves.

Another advantage of the present invention is that the sleeve is heldsecurely on the rotating tool to prevent wobbling and longitudinalslipping on the extension arm.

One more advantage of the present invention is that it is comfortable touse.

An additional advantage of the present invention is that it islightweight.

A further advantage of the present invention is that is compact to fitwithin working spaces.

A contributory advantage of the present invention is that it may bemanufactured in a variety of sizes to fit a variety of tools withrotating shafts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other details of my invention will be described in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, which are furnished only by way ofillustration and not in limitation of the invention, and in whichdrawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the protective gripping sleeve ofthe present invention and associated collar components attached to arotating tool extension arm;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view from the proximal end of the protectivegripping sleeve of the present invention and associated collarcomponents attached to a rotating tool extension arm;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view from the distal end of the protectivegripping sleeve of the present invention and associated collarcomponents attached to a rotating tool extension arm;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view from the proximal end of the protectivegripping sleeve of the present invention;

FIG. 5A is a perspective view from the proximal end of the rotating toolextension arm which receives attached collars and sleeve;

FIG. 5B is a perspective view from the proximal end of the rotating toolextension arm which has a built in distal collar;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the proximal collar of the protectivegripping sleeve of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of the proximal collar of theprotective gripping sleeve of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the distal collar of the protectivegripping sleeve of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view of the distal collar of the protectivegripping sleeve of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In FIGS. 1-9, a protective gripping sleeve device 10 for an extensionarm 2 of a rotating tool (not shown) comprises a protective grippingsleeve 1 slipped over the extension arm 2, the sleeve 1 held in placeand bracketed by a proximal collar 3 and a distal collar 4 and 4A. Thetwo collars 3 and 4 and 4A are attached to the extension arm 2 so that auser may grip the gripping sleeve 1 to guide and control the tool whilethe extension arm 2 rotates inside the sleeve 1. The protectivestationary gripping sleeve 1 surrounds a rotating tool extension arm 2which may be attached to any of a variety of rotating tools (not shown)taken from a list of rotating tools including a square-drive sockettool, a ratchet tool, an air tool, or other rotating tool with anextension arm.

The gripping sleeve device 10 comprises a rigid sleeve 1 slipped overthe extension arm 2, as shown in FIGS. 1-3, at the narrow square driveproximal end (shown at the left side of FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 5A and 5B). Thegripping sleeve 1 is fabricated of a rigid material which is preferablya rigid lightweight aluminum tubing or pipe, but could also be copper,stainless steel, plastic, carbon or other rigid type of tubing or pipeslightly larger in internal diameter than the outer diameter of theextension arm shaft. The gripping sleeve device 10 also comprises a pairof spaced collars 3 and 4 or 4A affixed to the extension arm 2 andspaced apart by the length of the gripping sleeve 1 to prevent slidingor wobbling of the sleeve 1 and to allow a user to grasp the stationarygripping sleeve 1 to guide and steady the tool while the tool extensionarm 2 rotates within the gripping sleeve 1. The gripping sleeve 1 is ofa length to enable a hand of the user to grip the gripping sleeve 1without contacting the collars 3 and 4 or 4A which rotate with theextension arm 2. Preferably, the proximal collar 3 and the distal collar4 are each attached to the rotating tool extension arm 2, as shown inFIGS. 1-3 with the extension arm shown in FIG. 5A. Alternately, a collar4A at the distal end of a rotating tool extension arm 2 may be builtinto the rotating tool extension arm 2, as shown in FIG. 5B.

In use, a user grips the stationary gripping sleeve 1 with one handwhile holding the tool handle (not shown) in the other hand and the toolrotates the extension arm 2 by a square drive at the proximal end (shownat the left side of FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 5A and 5B) to rotate a tool head (notshown) inserted in the square drive opening 5 at the distal end of theextension arm 2, as shown in FIG. 3, to enable the user to guide andcontrol the tool.

The extension arm 2 may be a basic extension arm 2 with a square drivereadily available and commonly used in various drive sizes. Extensionarms 2 are made by multiple manufacturers and the gripping sleeve device10 may be made to accommodate all sizes available. The present invention10 can be manufactured in any length, as long as the gripping sleeve 1is long enough to be comfortably held in the human hand, without thehand contacting the rotating collars 3 and 4 or 4A.

The distal collar 4 or 4A, while being smaller in diameter than mosttool guides or stabilizers, is large enough to be easily grasped by handin order to turn or rotate the extension arm 2, so as to be able toconnect the extension arm 2 to the drive-end (not shown) of a handratchet or air tool or other rotating tool.

The purpose of the present invention 10 is very simple. By allowing thesleeve surface 1 gripped by the guide hand to remain stationary in thehand and not have to grasp a rotating tool 2 the hand will not slidedown the tool 2 as it is used. If a glove is worn on the hand whileholding the gripping sleeve 1, the glove will not get torn or get caughtand wrapped around the rotating extension arm 2.

Another purpose of the present invention 10 is to provide a lightweightprotective sleeve device 10 that will not add much to the weight of thetool 2 being rotated, thereby preventing fatigue of the user.

Yet another purpose of the protective sleeve device 10 is to provide atool guide and hand protector which is compact in diameter. The distalcollar 4 or 4A, while being graspable, is still smaller in diameter thanmost rotating tool stabilizers. The protective gripping sleeve 1 has athin wall and the proximal collar 3 has the same outside diameter as thesleeve 1, so not much thickness is added to the outside diameter of therotating extension arm 2, as shown in FIGS. 1-3, thereby allowingcompactness and clearance in tight spaces.

It is understood that the preceding description is given merely by wayof illustration and not in limitation of the invention and that variousmodifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit ofthe invention as claimed.

1. A protective gripping sleeve device for an extension arm of arotating tool, the device comprising: a protective stationary grippingsleeve surrounding a rotating tool extension arm, the gripping sleevecomprising a rigid sleeve slipped over the extension arm at the narrowdrive end; a pair of spaced collars affixed to the extension arm andspaced apart by the length of the gripping sleeve to prevent sliding orwobbling of the sleeve and to allow a user to grasp the stationarygripping sleeve to guide and steady the tool while the tool extensionarm rotates within the gripping sleeve; the gripping sleeve of a lengthto enable a hand of the user to grip the gripping sleeve withoutcontacting the collars which rotate with the extension arm.
 2. Thedevice of claim 1 wherein the rotating tool extension arm is attached toany of a variety of rotating tools taken from a lists of rotating toolsincluding a square-drive socket tool, a ratchet tool, an air tool. 3.The device of claim 1 wherein the collars are each attached to therotating tool extension arm.
 4. The device of claim 1 wherein a collarat a distal end of the rotating tool extension arm is built into therotating tool extension arm.
 5. The device of claim 1 wherein thegripping sleeve is fabricated of rigid aluminum.
 6. The device of claim1 wherein the gripping sleeve is fabricated of rigid copper.
 7. Thedevice of claim 1 wherein the gripping sleeve is fabricated of rigidstainless steel.
 8. The device of claim 1 wherein the gripping sleeve isfabricated of rigid plastic.
 9. The device of claim 1 wherein thegripping sleeve is fabricated of rigid carbon tubing.
 10. The device ofclaim 1 wherein the gripping sleeve is fabricated of rigid tubing. 11.The device of claim 1 wherein the gripping sleeve is fabricated of rigidpipe.